Hot ticket item: Nick (left) and Sam Ng discussing button compatibility for a modernised traditional Chinese attire. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The Tang suit (tangzhuang) and cheongsam are favourite traditional outfits for the Chinese.
But with a bit of Malaysian flavour and some special innovations, they are now hot items.
And orders for these outfits have gone up by one-third.
Several young tailors have been adapting and “Malaysianising” traditional Chinese elements, says the Federation of Tailors Guilds Malaysia.
“These tailors incorporate Malaysian elements into the design of tangzhuang and customise the attire to fit well with the wearer to showcase individual style,” said federation president Sam Ng.
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The Tang suit is a Chinese jacket with Manchu origins and Han influences. It features a mandarin collar and frog buttons.
Traditional Chinese costumes such as the hanfu and tangzhuang have become popular over the past few years, he said.
Hanfu refers to traditional clothes once worn by the ethnic group known as Han Chinese.
“Many young tailors have started to design them with modifications so that they appeal to more people,” Ng added.
Lim Say Wooi, 38, is one tailor who incorporates batik elements into tangzhuang.
“When customers come to order tangzhuang, I would suggest adding batik patterns, or creating different designs on the buttons or collars.
“They retain the traditional style while bringing out a sense of fashion,” he added.
He hopes to attract more Malaysians to appreciate tangzhuang through continuous innovation and adaptation.
“Some Malays are also interested in tangzhuang. They would wear it at certain events, especially those with batik designs,” he said, adding that men aged between 16 and 40 are more receptive to the modified tangzhuang.
The older male customers, he said, could still accept innovative designs as long as they were not “too drastic”.
Nick Ng, 22, who started learning tailoring at 14 says his interest is in Chinese-themed designs and he incorporates that into men’s coats.
“For example, young customers like it when Chinese button knots are featured in jackets and coats.
“I am merging Chinese-themed designs into coats,” he explained.
Apart from designing jackets and coats, he also experiments with different styles of Tang suits.
Due to Malaysia’s tropical climate, he uses cooler fabrics in the designs of the Tang suit.
“I am currently researching the hanfu to try and design something that features Malaysian characteristics,” he added.
Sam Ng said the federation, with nearly 2,000 members nationwide, had been seeing an increase in the number of young people joining the tailoring business.
“We also promote sewing in schools. Sewing a garment relies on skill and patience to do each stitch. This is an art that machines and AI cannot replace,” he said.
